Saturday, December 26, 2009

Before & After the Break on the Sheet

The Ducks decided to flip some of their defensemen in the press box on Saturday night against the Sharks, which may not have been the best idea. Out of the line-up was Box 14 defenseman, Nick Boynton, and in came Box 12 defenseman, Steve Eminger. Just for argument's sake, in the 5-2 loss, Eminger had an even plus/minus rating in the game.

On Wednesday, Box 14 defenseman, Adam Pardy, returned to the shelf with the same wrist injury which kept him away from the ice earlier in December. There is no timetable for Pardy's return, but a few extra days around Christmas likely helped, but will likely be a game-day decision every day until otherwise noted.

The Canadiens have now been without Box 30 defenseman, Paul Mara, for the past couple of games with a hand & wrist injury, which he suffered earlier in the week, after blocking a shot. Mara only has 7 assists this season for the Habs, so his fantasy value hasn't been too great this season. Still, the Habs depth on the blueline will be challenged with this injury, nonetheless.

The Rangers have scratched Erik Christensen yet again from their line-up. It does not look terribly positive for the Box 8 forward, who has bounced around the waiver wire a little bit already this season. The Rangers look to be another team where he hasn't fit in and after the healthy scratch tonight, it seems likely that when the roster freeze lifts, Christensen will likely be put on waivers.

An undisclosed injury has kept Box 29 defenseman, Tom Poti, out of the Capitals line-up on Saturday night against the Devils. The coaching staff revealed that he was injured, but mentioned that the injury was not major and that they expect Poti to be back at practice on Sunday. Think of him as day-to-day or as a game-time decision for games until he returns.

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